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Monday, April 29, 2013

Running for my Dad in San Francisco is "Worth The Hurt"

The San Francisco Marathon offers a "Worth The Hurt" challenge that consists of running the marathon course TWICE within a 24 hour period. Let me clarify that I am NOT doing that....that's just crazy talk and to the people who do run it all I can say is, you are amazing. However, I think running what The Wall Street Journal called "the race even marathoners fear" is something worthy of a "Worth The Hurt" slogan. The Weather Channel also named it #15 on The World's 15 Toughest Marathons

On
Father's Day, June 16, I will be running 26.2 miles at the San
Francisco marathon in honor of my Dad, and I've joined up with the
Racing For A Cure Team that funds the Arthritis National Research
Foundation! My Dad was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis a few years
ago and over the years it has proven to be one of the most debilitating,
painful, and downright ugly diseases. For those who know
my Dad, you know that he is a busy body so when his flare ups result in
him not being able to get out of bed, walk, raise his arms, etc. it's
heartbreaking. This is a cruel disease that currently has NO cure.

While my Dad was never a runner, he has always been an extremely active person. Since there is no cure for RA, you are basically at the mercy of medications that are a necessary evil. Ones that in theory, could do more harm then good. Ones that present the option of "quality of life over quantity of life". It sucks. When life gives you lemons, you shut up, make lemonade and get on with it right? My Dad took Enbrel for quite some time to treat his RA....basically allowing him to walk. Side effects include: lowering your immune system so you can't fight infection, increasing your risk of cancer, nervous system problems, blood problems, heart failure......see where I'm going with this? So taking this allows someone to avoid being put in a wheelchair, but it may cause a slew of other potentially fatal issues?! Sounds like a decision that should just be made by flipping a coin.After months, and months, and months of taking a WEEKLY injection of Enbrel (shooting potentially toxic medicine into your body every single week -- oh did I mention that each injection is almost as much as my mortgage payment?) we started looking into other options. With those risks, there HAS to be something else, right? Some of you may or may not be familiar with AdvoCare and the incredible benefits that it has for overall fitness, running, weight loss, and general health management. One product that I knew could potentially help my Dad (or anyone with Arthritis) is called BioTools. It is a natural alternative formulated with a unique nutrient and herbal blend that helps support cardiovascular, bone and joint, and gastrointestinal systems. Even though I knew I could potentially help, I didn't talk to my Dad about it. Why? Because he is the type of person who will tell you when you're full of it, he doesn't need this or that, and to stop talking about any of that hokey pokey stuff. He's a straight shooter and as honest as they come; it's where I get my brutal honesty from. God help us all. Anyways, my Dad ended up talking to my friend Krystal about BioTools and maybe it's because he didn't hear it from me that he actually wanted to try it. I picked him up a 30-day supply and delivered it with the disclosure that as his daughter, I wanted him to be 100% completely honest with me about what he thought of it. He agreed, and that was that. About 5 weeks went by and I got a call from my Mom that said "We haven't wanted to say anything because we're so excited and don't want to jinx it, but the BioTools seems to be working. Your Dad has NOT had to have an injection in over 4 weeks!". My jaw literally dropped. Was it really working? My Dad has continued on a steady supply of BioTools for 6 months now and I am proud to report that he is now OFF the injections completely, and his doctor approved him dropping back to a much less abrasive/mild medication that he takes orally once per day! Given the severity of his RA, I was never expecting him to fully come off medication. However, getting off the toxic injections that also cost an insane amount of money per month is a HUGE testimony! If you know anyone who might benefit from this, please share my Dad's story. As always, please consult your doctor as well. You can also comment, or send me an email to LindsayLove@sbcglobal.net